Male and female alcoholics are being evaluated repeatedly during the course of withdrawal from alcohol for changes in brain neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) functioning, immunocompetency, brain structure, cognition, magnesium, zinc, and activity levels. Preliminary results suggest that serum ionized magnesium does not reflect tissue ionized magnesium and that ionized magnesium is regulated in a tissue-specific manner. Serium ionized magnesium may be an important factor in diastolic blood pressure regulation in alcoholics.